Aeroplane-propeller



J. E. THOMPSON.

A'EHOPLANE PROPELLER. APPLICATION FILED DEc.1.191s.

1,332,528. Patented Mar. 2,1920.

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AEBOPLANE-P'ROPELER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. v2, 1920.

Application led December?, 1918. Serial'No. 265,741.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EDWARD THOMPSON, of the town of Paisley, in the county of Bruce, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AerOplane-- Propellers, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvements in aero-plane propellers and the object of the invention is to provide. simple means for changing the angle of the propeller blades to increase or decrease the draw, in which means are provided for so coupling the bladestog'ether to overcome the strain due to centrifugal force `vas the propeller revolves, in which means are provided for indicating to the air-man the angle at which the blades are set and itconsists essentially of the following arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particularly explained.

-Figure 1, is a sectional perspective view of my device together with the butt ends.

of the propeller blades.

Fig. 2, is a sectional detail showing the means for connecting the butt ends of the propeller blades together.

Fig. 3, is a front elevation of the device whereby the blade setting device is thrown into operation.

ln the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

1 indicates the propeller shaft mounted ina suitable bearing 1x carried by an aeroplane. 2 indicates a controlling shaft mounted in suitable bearings 2 and 20,` on one end of which is mounted a controlling lever 3 and at the opposite end is secured a sprocket pinion 4. 5 indicates a supplemental shaft also mounted 'in bearings 1x andlprovide'd at one end with a sprocket Wheel 5* connected by a sprocket chain 5 to the sprocket wheel 4 and at the opposite end with an eccentric 5.

10 indicate vertical guide ribs which are formed on the outer end face of the bearing 1". 6 indicates a vertically slidable member held between the guide ribs 1 and provided with friction contact ribs 6X and 6 which are concentric to the center of the propeller shaft when in their operative position. The

member' 6 is provided with a depending.

` an outer b-all race member 11.

tongue 6 in which is formed a circular orilice 62 in which fits the eccentric 5. 7 indicates a circular housing which is secured at 7 X to the outer end of the propeller shaft 1. The housing 7 is in theforfm of a hollow circular drum provided at diametrically opposite pointsL in its periphery with tapered bearings .7 and 72fwhich are provided with inner and outer ball races 73 and 74. l.

8 and 9 indicate the inner ends of the propeller blades, the butt ends v8X and 9x of which are connected together by a suitable connector 10. The connector 10 is formed preferably by a central sleeve 10X, the outer edges 10o and 10 of which are formed, inclined to form one side of a ball race.

11 and v12 vindicate cylindrical members secured at their inner ends tothe member 10X, each lmember I11 andl12b'eing provided with `an inner ball race member 11c and The butts 8 and 9X are provided with corresponding ball races 8 and 90 in which fit balls 8 and 9. By this means the butt 'ends of the blades are secured firmly together and yet are free to revolve independently one of the other. 13 indicates a worm gear scoured to the butt end of the blade 8 and 14 inV dicates a wormgear secured to the butt end of the blade 9;

15 and 16 indicate shafts journaled in the walls of the housing l7 and provided with worms 17 and 18 meshing with the worm gears 13 and 14. 19 Aindicates a shrouded sprocket secured to the shaft 15 and 20 indicates a shrouded sprocket se'- cured to the shaft 16, the sprockets 19 and 2O being connected together by a sprocket `chain 21. 22 indicates a friction wheel secured to the inwardly extended end of the shaft 15 so as to be brought alternately into engagement with the ribs 6 0 and 6 as the vmember 6` is adjusted vertically either in one direction vor the other.

It will be understood that the engine shaft 1 andthe housing 7 carried thereby with the blades 8` and 9 mounted therein revolvel continuously when the engine is driven and that when it' is necessary to adjust the blades in one direction the lever- 3 is thrown over so as to turn the shafts 2 and 5 and the eccentric 5 in such a direction as to draw the member 6 down and the fore,-the blades 8 1 blades are set in the inner periphery ofthe rib 6* into contact with the friction Wheel 22. As the propel- 'ler revolves.,the friction wheel 22 contacts 9 revolving the propeller blade 9 in the opposite direction. It will be understood that the Worms 17 and 18 are set in opposite directions one to the other and., thereand 9 set in a correspondting direction.Y l

When it is necessary to set the blades in the reverse direction the lever 3 is thrown in the opposite direction so as to turn the shafts 2 and 5 yand the eccentric 5 to carry the member 6 upwardly and the upper face of the rib 6 into engagement with t-he friction Wheel 22 thereby setting the mechanism in the opposite direction.

In order to indicate to the airman the angle at which the blades are set I have provided the following device:

23 indicates a ring` which is mounted 'on studs 24: and 25 extending through the baclr wall of the housing 7, the ring 23- being located within the housing and spring held away from the inner face of the wall of the housing by compression springs 25X. 26 and 27 indicate collars carried upon the inner ends of the blades 8 and 9 and provided with friction rollers 26x and 27x the ring 23 is normally held by the compression springs 25". cated to the outside of the rear wall of the housing 7 and secured to the opposite ends of the studs 24 and 25. 29 ,indicates a rod which may be supported in suitable bearas to V.slide longitudinally. Theouter end of the rod 29 is provided with a depending fork 29X in which are located ball bearings 29 'and 292 bearing against the opposite faces of the ring 28,.

30 indicates an indicating pointer swinga'bly mounted on an indicating plate 31 and provided with an arm 32, to the outer end secured.

It will be blades are turned in one direction they will force the ring 23 toward the wall of the housing l7 against the compression ofl the springs 25 thereby forcing the rod 29 longitudinally to move the pointer.

rollers 26x -and 27x are carried away from against which 28 indicates a ring loof which the opposite end of the rod 29 'is seen 'that when the propeller When the opposite direction the;

the ring 23 and the ring is carried away:

from the wall of the housing 7 by the comi pression springs drawing the rod 29 in the opposite direction.

`It will, of course, be understood that the are continually revolving and that the ring 28 engaging the rod 29 revolves between the roller bearings 29 and 292 during the operation.

From this description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple construction in which the blades of the aeroplane propeller may be set to any angle desired and yet are-so connected together that there is no danger of their being carried apart by reason of the great tangential strain pro-A duced by the revolving parts.

It may be 'understood that mechanisms have already been devised whereby the propeller blades may be set to any desired angle but the diiiculty has been that by such construction the blades necessarily are divided one from the other and mountedY in separate bea-rings. Heretofore it has been found impossible to devise a structure sufliciently strong to overcome the great strain due to the tangential force created by the propellers re\v'olving at high speed and it is to overcome this defect and to therebyy make possible the use of mechanism whereby the propeller blades may be set to any desired angle to produce any required draw that I have devised the foregoing mechanism.

What I claim as my invention is.

1. In an aeroplane propeller, a bearing member adapted to be secured to the end of the propeller shaft, propeller blades journaled in the bearing mem'ber in proximity to their butt ends, means for connecting the butt ends of the blades together so that they have independent movement, a worm gear mounted upon the butt of each propeller blade, supplemental shafts carried lbythe bearing member having oppositely. set Worms engaging the gears, and means operated by the airman for simultaneously turning thefworm shafts in either direction.

2. In an aeroplane propeller, a bearing member adaptedv to 'be secured to the end of the propeller shaft, propeller bladesjoun fnaled in the bearing member in proximity Sto their butt ends, n I the butt ends ofthe `blades together so that .f they have independent movement, a Worm `,gear mounted upon the butt of each promeans for connecting peller blade, supplemental shafts carried by the bearing member having oppositely set -worms engaging the gears, a sprocket gear connection between the worm shafts, a friction gear mounted upon one of the worm shafts, friction members provided 'with faces substantially concentric to the center of the worm shaft, and means operated by' the airman for drawing 'such faces alternately into engagement )Vith the friction gear.

3. In an aeroplane propeller. a bearing member adapted to be mounted on the propeller shaft, propeller blades independently mounted in the bearing member, means operated by the airman for adjusting the.

angular set of the prop eller blades, a cam member mounted upon each propeller iblade,

a ring spring held in co member earryin terior ring mem ends of the studs,

ntaet with the cam members, studs mounted in the bearing such ring member, an exer carried by the opposite a longitudinally movable vrod having a fork at one end engaging the outer peripheral portion of the vouter ring member, a pivoted pointer, Vand an arm ex- 10 tending therefrom to which the opposite end of the rod is pivotally connected.

JOHN lED'W ARD THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

' M. EGAN,

H. HEBBEN. 

